Knicks Quickly Giving Mohamed Diawara a Test After His Extension

It's time for the 2025 second-rounder to take the next step.

It's clear that Mohamed Diawara still needs to prove himself to the Knicks before they blindly trust him. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Basketball's offseason is still young, but that hasn't prevent the Knicks from undergoing plenty of changes since winning the NBA Finals last month. While the start of free agency saw big men Mitchell Robinson and Ariel Hukporti leave for Boston and Philadelphia, respectively, the Knicks managed to retain Landry Shamet and Jose Alvarado, as well a re-signing Mohamed Diawara to a four-year deal worth at least $10 million.

Diawara's new contract seemingly showed the Knicks' faith in him. A $2.5 million average annual value (AAV) isn't a huge number, but it's significant enough for a 21-year-old forward who was the 51st pick of the NBA Draft just last year. At the same time, New York's latest decision showed that the front office and coaching staff still view Diawara as a work in progress.

On Thursday, the Knicks unveiled their 2026 NBA Summer League roster, shared by SNY TV's Ian Begley. This year's summer unit contains expected names, such rookie Tyler Nickel and 2024 first-rounder Pacôme Dadiet, with one surprise inclusion being Diawara despite his new contract.

Here is Knicks’ Summer League roster, which includes Tyler Nickel, Mo Diawara, Pacome Dadiet and Dillon Jones: pic.twitter.com/GchbOXCThn

— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) July 2, 2026

Knicks send message to Mohamed Diawara with Summer League inclusion

Diawara sure seemed like an offseason priority when the details of his new Knicks contract emerged on June 22. Fast forward over a week later, and his being a part of New York's Summer League roster shows that his role isn't locked up yet and that certain aspects of his game could use improving.

It might seem demoralizing at a glance, but some summertime action might be in Diawara's best interest. The annual competition is a good way to keep an up-and-coming prospect humble and motivated, as it makes it clear that they need to take their game to new heights if they want to be an everyday NBA contributor next season and beyond.

Hopefully, playing in this year's NBA Summer League will motivate Mohamed Diawara to be even more impactful for the Knicks next season. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It'll be interesting to see what being on a championship-winning team will do for Diawara's development moving forward.

The 6-foot-9, 225-pound forward was trusted to make seven starts in his 69 regular-season appearances, playing just over nine minutes per game as he averaged 3.6 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.8 assists while shooting 42.3% from the floor and 36.9% from deep. Diawara only made six postseason appearances (often in garbage time), with none coming in the NBA Finals, averaging 1.2 ppg with 23.1% field-goal and 16.7% three-point rates.

All eyes will be on Diawara to see if he can approve on last year' Summer League numbers now that he has some NBA experience under his belt. He averaged 7.0 ppg on 22.3 minutes across four appearance last year, which included a summer-high seven rebounds in the final game vs. the Wizards on July 19. He did only shoot 2-of-13 (15.4%) from deep, though, so one thing the Knicks likely want to see is an improved perimeter presence.

If Diawara makes the necessary improvements, he could be looking at a much bigger role in New York this fall. Proving that he's ready for more of the Knicks' trust could position him as one of their top bench players, as he could potentially give both OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges some much-needed breaks during games. He can also play some backup center minutes in small-ball lineups, which helps the team amid the ongoing search for Robinson's replacement.

The 2026 NBA Summer League begins on Friday, but the Las Vegas circuit won't begin until July 9. The Knicks will start their summertime slate one day later, facing the Nets in what will be Diawara's first opportunity to prove that not only is his new contract worth its ink and paper, but that he's ready to take that next step in his NBA career.